Work starts on Huddersfield’s Gigabit transformation

Huddersfield set to become one of the most digitally connected towns on the planet as CityFibre breaks ground on £30 million full fibre network expansion. Work began today in Huddersfield town centre to extend its existing full fibre network past almost every home and business locally, enabling both residents and businesses to enjoy unlimited bandwidth and internet speeds of up to 1000Mbps. CityFibre has been supporting Huddersfield’s digital transformation since 2014, when it launched a new, independent 52km fibre network providing full fibre connectivity to 176 public sector sites and the town’s business population. The new project, delivered in partnership with Vodafone, marks a further £30m investment from CityFibre, providing residents with access to gigabit speed connectivity for the very first time. By using fibre optic cables for every stage of the connection from the customer’s business or home to the internet, rather than aging, capacity-constrained copper cables, users can experience a significantly superior and more reliable broadband service, capable of Gigabit speeds (1000Mbps). This project is set to enhance Huddersfield’s standing as a globally competitive digital location, transforming the online world at home, increasing productivity and driving economic growth by creating new jobs and enticing further inward investment. Local Brighouse-based contractor SDH Project Services Ltd has been appointed to deliver the programme on CityFibre’s behalf. The contractor will use modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly and efficiently, while CityFibre is committed to working closely with Kirklees Council and local communities to ensure a fast and successful roll-out with minimum disruption to residents. The project is due to be completed by 2021, while the first connected homes can expect to be enjoying Gigafast broadband services from Vodafone by summer this year. Steve Moore, CityFibre’s City Development Manager for Huddersfield, said: “Through a thriving creative and digital culture, coupled with a world-renowned reputation for manufacturing and innovation, Huddersfield has so much to gain from fresh investment in its broadband infrastructure. For instance, recent research estimates that over the next 15 years, the roll-out of full fibre could unlock £18m in business productivity and innovation, and £11m from new start-up activity. “Digital investment has the ability to transform businesses and communities. In the year ahead, we want to work with as many organisations as possible to raise awareness of our plans for the town and ensure everyone understands the long-term importance of reliable, ultrafast speed and limitless capacity broadband.” Project Director, Colin Brown, SDH Project Services Ltd said: “We are delighted to work alongside Kirklees Council and CityFibre on the full fibre rollout in Huddersfield. “Having such a prestigious contract very local to our company headquarters is a huge accolade for SDH. It will support our aspirations to grow our local workforce exponentially over the coming months and ensure that the network is built by local people who look forward to the exciting opportunities that today’s telecoms industry presents. “We shall work tirelessly to ensure that minimal impact is created during the roll-out phase over the coming months and would like to stress that any short-term disruption is compensated by the provision and delivery of high-speed connectivity, something that the entire area has struggled with for too long.” Councillor Peter McBride at Kirklees Council, added: “We welcome this investment in the District, which will bring first-class digital infrastructure to Huddersfield residents and future proof its digital connectivity. The Council continues to work closely with the private sector to facilitate investment in high-speed connectivity across the district. Digital infrastructure is vital - it is part of our economic strategy to ensure we remain a resilient, future-proofed district that is fully able to take advantage of technology.” Through its partnership with Vodafone, CityFibre’s objective is to bring next-generation full fibre infrastructure to 5 million UK homes and businesses by 2025, representing a third of the UK Government’s target of 15m homes by 2025. You can find out more about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision for Huddersfield by visiting: www.cityfibre.com/huddersfield and following @GigabitHudds on Twitter. Dedicated roadshows will also be taking place to promote the additional employment opportunities for local people to support this rollout. For more information contact the SDH Project Services media team at pr@sdh-ps.com.